Does having a computer enhance your life?

I haven't had a computer since high school and it was a good old fashioned desktop, dialup modem wonder. Bought at a garage sale in the early 2000s for 45 bucks. Worked great. I knew nothing about technology then and I still don't now, but I did have a lot of fun trying to "code" my neocities site and chatting on AIM.

I kind of want to get a computer now, but I'm unsure and wanted input from those who have computers or laptops on whether having some type of computer would enhance my life in any way versus using my phone to browse the internet. Also, should I be looking more toward an actual desktop PC or a laptop? Any recommendations? I don't need anything extravagant I'm not a videogamer. Also, I feel like I wouldn't like a laptop because of the mouse situation. Is there a way to plug an actual mouse into a laptop so you don't have to use your finger on that little pad as a mouse?

As you can see. Tech illiterate. Send help.

I'm an older retiree who uses the computer daily.

I belong to a Senior citizen group of 60 people and am the volunteer leader. I use it to communicate with my group. We share needs and life events. Not on facebook, but between us. I spend about 6-8 hours a week on these leadership activities. With no computer, printing out stuff and calling people, I'd probably be spending at least 20 hours a week or more.

Right now I'm helping a non-profit with their startup. I have started a successful non-profit and so am helping them with their organizational manual. I can get done in one day what it used to take nearly a week to accomplish before computers. Especially with Chatgpt. I input what I mean to say and it immediately spits out how to say it. I can get it to revise what I say down to a 3rd grade level and still make sense for the clients, and have the same thing brought up to graduate level for staff. Cool and it takes me a while to type in parameters but the response is immediate and spot on so far. Saving me weeks worth of work the old fashioned way.

Yes it is worth it.

I also make my own greeting cards and save a lot of money. With Avery print and save I can get a pdf to print and print it out myself for 90% less than buying one, and they always say what I want them to say!

Yes you can use a handheld mouse. Get a wireless one. Use the dongle (USB thingie) in the USB port of the computer, turn on the mouse and away you go.

The pads are hard to get used to. I'm used to them now, but my hubby struggles and prefers a mouse.

The best part for this news junkie. I can read news from all over the world. I find international news is the least biased when it comes to news about the US. So I get an honest read on what is really going on in the US and not spin.

a reply to: Shoshanna

Yes, having a desktop is much better than a phone or tablet. Full keyboard instead of that tiny one on a phone, the screen is much bigger and easier to see...I mean seriously, have you tried to watch a movie on a phone ? Pah !!

It's all around better.

I just have an HP All In One. I'm not a gamer or run a business, I don't need anything complicated or expensive, so it fits my needs.

a reply to: Shoshanna

I can give some personal advice... about a year and a half ago my desktop went down, started having memory issues, and I was constantly trying to make an outdated windows 7 continue to operate and be safe for browsing the internet and downloading things, long story short the MB died and I haven't bothered to plan to build a new one.
So, I was stuck with my phone, and a newly purchased tablet.
I've been 'mobile' ever since, even upgraded my tablet to a more powerful one. I can say it has its pros and cons.
The biggest pro, yet, con, at the same time, is I am more mobile in my home for taking in media and information, but I am less interactive because I have to tap at a little screen with my thumbs. When I was on my desktop, I was taking in just as much information, but I was more interactive with communities and such, but I had to be sitting down and less mobile. For example, here my posts have been less frequent, and a lot poorer quality to the point I juat don't even bother making comments anymore. On a desktop I was a lot more productive.

If you choose the desktop route, you have a lot more freedom than when you were buying computers back then, you can build one with a myriad of different parts to choose from, or just of course buy a pre made, you just need to make the decision in regards to if you want to sit down at a desk all the time.
A laptop route is a little more strict in regards to performance, but only if you want to game, I find laptops tend to not last as long tho. The upside with a laptop is you're mobile, to a certain extent.

Overall, I do miss my desktop, mobile has a lot of limitations, especially with software and control over programs.

originally posted by: Shoshanna
I haven't had a computer since high school and it was a good old fashioned desktop, dialup modem wonder. Bought at a garage sale in the early 2000s for 45 bucks. Worked great. I knew nothing about technology then and I still don't now, but I did have a lot of fun trying to "code" my neocities site and chatting on AIM.

I kind of want to get a computer now, but I'm unsure and wanted input from those who have computers or laptops on whether having some type of computer would enhance my life in any way versus using my phone to browse the internet. Also, should I be looking more toward an actual desktop PC or a laptop? Any recommendations? I don't need anything extravagant I'm not a videogamer. Also, I feel like I wouldn't like a laptop because of the mouse situation. Is there a way to plug an actual mouse into a laptop so you don't have to use your finger on that little pad as a mouse?

As you can see. Tech illiterate. Send help.

Hi
Yes you can use a mouse on a lappy and plug it into your tv with a hdmi cable.
Im doing this now and using a usb keyboard..because i spilt beer on my lappy and had no WD40 to hand

I only love computers because of the internet.
A vast online library of information,then my pc went tits up and had to learn to repair it.

seems like a lifetime ago but it was in the year 2000

Other than my obsession with investigating food and pharmaceutical science, and of course here, I don't think it is worth having one. I would rather call someone than chat online on facebook. Even when I share what I have learned, most people do not really know me so they usually take what I say with a grain of salt.

Lets see, what has my research done for me? I could talk to a metabolic specialist or pharmacist better now than talking to ninety nine percent of people. You can only interpret the stuff into layman's terms so much, so I wind up causing most people I talk to to get confused because of all of the terminology. I actually do better here, I can edit what I post to try to uncomplicate things a bit and people can look up the words that go over most people's heads by highlighting them and googling the words. That does not happen in a store or restaurant I meet people at. When on the phone with my daughter, she has her smart phone a going looking up things as I talk.

I think I would rather discuss plumbing, carpentry, Electrical work,construction, or auto mechanics and small engine mechanics with people again. Hunting and fishing were big conversation topics before, and with farmers I discussed all kinds of farm stuff. The internet has made me lose interest in what others are interested in.

So think about how society is changing, the wife and I were always going to social functions, now I study and discuss things on line, and she is on facebook chatting with friends whom she would have been out bumming around with after she retired.

Not seeing that social media is actually benefitting society much, most times it is bad for society. I liked the seventies, it was fun to live back then, from talking to others younger than I it sounds like they are conditioned to believe that social media and technology are the cat's meow. And they are committing suicide and on meds for depression or anxiety way more now than before the internet

originally posted by: DAVID64
a reply to: Shoshanna

Yes, having a desktop is much better than a phone or tablet. Full keyboard instead of that tiny one on a phone, the screen is much bigger and easier to see...I mean seriously, have you tried to watch a movie on a phone ? Pah !!

It's all around better.

I just have an HP All In One. I'm not a gamer or run a business, I don't need anything complicated or expensive, so it fits my needs.

I have sent two text messages in my life from a phone, both were in September of this year to the same person who only does texting. I am sick of facebook, even from the computer. I am going to pause it someday and try to start actually going out for coffee again instead of messenger. My kids and grandkids, they live with texting everyone, and I cannot even understand what the hell they are talking about in the texts in messenger in our family chat. They keep adding stuff answering someone who texted sometimes in the past without reference to who it is for. I hate searching all the posts to find out who they are talking about and what they are talking about. My youngest daughter said she hardly ever knows what others are talking about in group chat, she is too busy to start finding what it is about, so she ignores it but puts a little smily or thumbs up on it even though she has no clue on what it is about. She herself does that too, but she said that is normal now, don't pay any attention to anything in posts or it will drive you nuts she said.

If u don't game it's somewhat better

If I wasn't a gamer I would buy a higher end laptop with a graphics card not on board it's just worth it to have all that handled by a dedicated card in a lot of ways

With a monitor and keyboard it's as good as a desktop and I can still take it with me if need be not to mention the space is saves

a reply to: Shoshanna

Just this week...I finally ended up w just a tablet. Laptops cool, older-all transfered to home storage ..PC in other room haven't sat at in years...also all transfered to storage...

Then, the smartphone as well...other than processing or composing...the tablet does everything.

I perform using tracks on it w Bluetooth.

These devices have changed the world forever.....✌️🎸🎹

a reply to: Shoshanna

Sho,

Just one tech caution. If you get a PC, you probably won't need the very best gaming model, but I suggest not skimping on RAM and hard disk size. Windows 10 and 11 are system hogs and will bog down a PC if it doesn't have ample resources.

Cheers

a reply to: DAVID64

I was looking at these but I wasn't sure about HP because I've seen some bad reviews mostly of their other products though. Because the store I was looking at had the all in one HP and also a HP that came with the tower, monitor and keyboard/mouse. I was leaning toward that one so good to see a review from someone who actually has one that works pretty good.

a reply to: strongfp

Im clumsy so thats another reason I feel like a laptop might not work for me....I'd have that thing broken immediately I think. I agree that it is more difficult to do certain things like long posts or comments and even having to use different tabs on my phone to copy links is hard because usually when I go from one tab to another on my phone it reloads the entire page and I have to scroll and find what I was trying to quote which is kind of annoying.

a reply to: rickymouse

I so wish I was alive in the 70s! I've seen a few of your comments about nutrition/food and different health related things and I find them very informative. Nobody really seems to socialize anymore. I have some old newspapers from my grandparents small town in the 30s and there are all these short articles detailing social visits like "Mr. and Mrs. Brown, of Lewiston visited Ethel Pearl in Okahatchee this Tuesday." Or "Mrs. John Fowler called on Leona Bailey of Lewiston on Wednesday."

Its pretty interesting how much society has changed just in the last 100 years.

ause i spilt beer on my lappy and had no WD40 to hand

Just as an aside, try using brake cleaner it won’t leave residue behind.

a reply to: alwaysbeenhere2

If you opt for the desktop route maybe consider a mini pc which are gaining popularity. There are a few companies making them now. The case dimensions are approximately 5x5x2 inches. The CPUs (Intel and AMD) have integrated graphics (no need for a graphics card) and go all the way up to high end. Many have Windows 11 installed. Some are vesa mountable as well so if your tv/monitor is on a stand you can attach your pc to the back of it. Add a wireless keyboard/mouse combo and you are ready to go. I was initially wary of heat issues with Mini PCs but the Youtube reviews I have watched of some of the high-end CPUs have been very good.

I know you are not looking for anything extravagant. This Amazon link has mini PCs starting from $179.

Hope this helps.

originally posted by: Shoshanna
a reply to: rickymouse

I so wish I was alive in the 70s! I've seen a few of your comments about nutrition/food and different health related things and I find them very informative. Nobody really seems to socialize anymore. I have some old newspapers from my grandparents small town in the 30s and there are all these short articles detailing social visits like "Mr. and Mrs. Brown, of Lewiston visited Ethel Pearl in Okahatchee this Tuesday." Or "Mrs. John Fowler called on Leona Bailey of Lewiston on Wednesday."

Its pretty interesting how much society has changed just in the last 100 years.

Back in the sixties, there was a different kind of social media. Housewives and telephones. If something happened in town, within an hour every woman in town who was at home knew about it and if their friends were working at the store, they would run to the store to tell their friend about it and the checkout people became social media outlets.

At least people talked to others those days, texts and facebook are slow and suck.